Feb 28, 2008

The countdown continues! From an initial entry list of twenty-eight (28) new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of ten finalists, the top three contenders for thethird annual World Car of the Year awards were announced today by the international accounting firm KPMG. The winners of the 2007 WCOTY will be unveiled during Press Preview at the upcoming New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) on Thursday, April 5.

The 2007 World Car of the Year top three finalists are, in alphabetical order:

To be eligible for a World Car award, the contender had to be in production, and sold, in at least five countries on two continents during 2006.

Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of 44 top-level automotive journalists from 22 countries around the world. Collectively, their opinions reach many millions of potential vehicle purchasers. Each juror has been appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work.

The 2007 World Car of the Year will be declared on Thursday, April 5, 2007 during a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show.

“Announcing the annual World Car of the Year awards at the New York show in April is a fitting finale to the international auto show season that begins each fall with either the Paris or Frankfurt motor shows,” said Gerry Malloy, co-chair, WCOTY.

Three additional winners for World Performance Car, World Green Car, and World Car Design of the Year will also be announced during the same press conference on April 5, 2007 in New York.

The Top Three finalists for the 2007 World Performance Car title are, in alphabetical order:– Audi RS4– BMW 335i– Porsche 911 Turbo

To be eligible for the 2007 World Green Car award, a vehicle had to be all-new or substantially revised, in production, and for sale, in at least one major market during 2006. Either the vehicle or the green technology could be experimental or a prototype with near-future application (i.e. will go on the market soon) provided that it was released for individual or press fleet evaluations in quantities of ten or more during 2006.

The World Car of the Year Awards program is initiated by, organized by, and conducted by, automotive journalists from around the globe. A non-profit association guided by a steering committee of journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America administers the awards program.

Situated in the media, financial and advertising capital of the world, the New York International Auto Show hosts a wide range of important industry events as well as dozens of world and North American new vehicle introductions each year. The Show’s annual Wall Street Awards Dinner recognizes leading automotive stock performers, while the Television Bureau of Advertising’s Annual Spring Conference attracts more than 1,200 of the nation’s leading broadcasting executives. Top international automotivejournalists present the World Car of the Year Awards, and IAG Research hosts the IAG Automotive Advertising Awards. It all takes place in America’s largest car market at America’s largest-attended auto show.

Important Auto Show DatesPress Preview April 4 & 5Public Sneak Preview April 6Public Show Dates April 6 - 15

NYIAS is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.

Feb 18, 2008

The OneCAT will be a five-seater with a fibre-glass body, weighing just 350kg and could cost just over £2,500. It will be driven by compressed air stored in carbon-fibre tanks built into the chassis. The tanks can be filled with air from a compressor in just three minutes - much quicker than a battery car.

Alternatively, it can be plugged into the mains for four hours and an on-board compressor will do the job.

For long journeys the compressed air driving the pistons can be boosted by a fuel burner which heats the air so it expands and increases the pressure on the pistons. The burner will use all kinds of liquid fuel.

The designers say on long journeys the car will do the equivalent of 120mpg. In town, running on air, it will be cheaper than that.

"The first buyers will be people who care about the environment," says French inventor Guy Negre. "It also has to be economical."

Major savings

Mr Negre has been promising for more than a decade to be on the verge of a breakthrough. Independent observers are more convinced this time because he recently secured backing from the giant Indian conglomerate Tata to put the finishing touches to the engine.

Tata is the only big firm he'll license to sell the car - and they are limited to India. For the rest of the world he hopes to persuade hundreds of investors to set up their own factories, making the car from 80% locally-sourced materials.

"This will be a major saving in total emissions," he says.

"Imagine we will be able to save all those components travelling the world and all those transporters."

He wants each local factory to sell its own cars to cut out the middle man and he aims for 1% of global sales - about 680,000 per year.

Terry Spall from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers says: "I really hope he succeeds. It is a really brave experiment in producing a sustainable car."

But he said he was interested to see how the car would fare with safety tests and how much it would appeal to a public conditioned to expect luxury fittings adding to the weight of the vehicle.

Mr Negre says there's no issue with safety - if the air-car crashes the air tanks won't shatter - they will split with a very loud bang. "The biggest risk is to the ears."